1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a system, information processing apparatus, and printing apparatus.
2. Description of the Related Art
In an effort to reduce power consumption in a printing apparatus, for example, there is a technique to stop the power supply to a portion which consumes power when the printing apparatus stands still for a predetermined time. A technique of fixing a coloring material (toner) onto a printing medium (paper) by a fixing unit using heat and pressure is popular in a printing apparatus using the electrophotographic technique. In this case, power consumption can be reduced by stopping the power supply to the fixing unit. Upon accepting a printing instruction from the outside, this printing apparatus energizes the fixing unit at the same time as image processing, and after raising the heater temperature, starts printing. The longer the apparatus has not accepted a printing instruction, the longer a state (also called a “sleep state”) in which the fixing unit is not energized continues. As a result, the fixing unit is cooled to room temperature. Wasteful electric energy is consumed to heat the fixing unit to a temperature capable of fixing.
To solve this problem, a technique is proposed to suppress amount of electric energy consumed during the lifecycle of the overall apparatus by decreasing the ON/OFF switching count of the fixing unit. For example, Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2000-272203 (patent reference 1) discloses a technique of decreasing the ON/OFF switching count of the fixing unit by performing print processing not immediately after receiving a printing instruction but only after a predetermined condition is satisfied.
In the technique disclosed in patent reference 1, the user needs to select either a printing mode in which the printing apparatus quickly follows a printing instruction, or a printing mode in which it stands by until a predetermined condition is satisfied. However, the user does not always select a proper printing mode. For example, if he selects the printing mode in which the printing apparatus quickly follows a printing instruction though the printing apparatus is in a power-saving state, the power-saving state is canceled, failing in power saving of the printing apparatus. If he selects the printing mode in which the printing apparatus suspends a printing instruction though the printing apparatus is in a standby state in which it can quickly execute print processing, execution of print processing following the printing instruction is delayed.